Official Site: http://heroesofruin.com/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Developer: n-Space
Publisher: Square-Enix
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
+ Easy drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for local or global play
+ Steadily paced and good sense of progression
+ Each class provides a different experience
+ Challenging, but manageable
+ Visceral combat system makes fighting fun the whole way through
Cons:
- Weak end-game content (Max level is 30)
- Gold is pointless as vendors rarely carry good items and maxes out at 99,999
- Loading times are way too long
- Lots of dead ends in each level
Recommended: Yes, Action-RPG and Dungeon Crawler fans will like it
An old war led a few men into channeling the powers to become Ruinlords so that they may protect the lands. Years later, the Ruinlord Ataraxis was cursed into a deep slumber and heroes across the land gathered to find a way to awaken him once more. As one of the heroes in the story, the player will run between the town and one of four areas to fulfill quests that will help the people of Veil, find ways to awaken the Ruinlord, and of course fight enemies to gain more experience points and find bountiful loot. The game is a lot of running around, fighting, and solving light puzzles. Each of the 4 classes have 3 main skill branches they can gain abilities from and can be mixed in any way they please. The game can be perceived as a bit repetitive, but the well crafted combat system makes for a satisfying adventure into the dungeons each time. I have finished through the game once with the Gunslinger and have tried the other classes and I found the game to be mostly enjoyable; however, there isn't much to do after you've completed the main quest other than to max out your character level. The game provides a decent amount of gameplay time and replay value as long as interests still holds for the player.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 3D Rendered Overhead
+ The 3D works pretty well, especially during scripted scenes
+ Each piece of equipment is reflected on the character, good sense of detail
+ Everything worked well together for a satisfying combat system (art/audio/etc.)
+ The town is pretty large and felt lively which made it a bit more immersive
+ Inventory system felt weird at first, but turns out to be really organized
+ For a handheld game, the voice acting was pretty good
- Without the 3D on, the graphics look blocky and clumped up together
- Two of the dungeons can look a bit boring after a while (1st and last were good)
- Some of the reaction times and animation to skills are sluggish
Aesthetics: 8/10
Buttons
Controller: All aspects of the 3DS except for the Camera and G-Sensor; Face keys, shoulder keys, circle pad, digital pad, touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Microphone
+ Utilizes the touchscreen and digital pad really well along with the other keys
+ On the fly skill swap is great
+ All the keys are mapped out really well
+ Quick Equip/Sell on the digital pad is genius, I'd like this system in other RPGs
+ Quick potions on the digital pad keeps the flow of the game going, no menus
- Some skills execute sluggishly if at all
- Dodge felt clunky, especially with block on the same exact key
Buttons: 8/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Grab a quest, kill some enemies, collect some loot, repeat
+ Combat system is really satisfying and keeps things interesting
+ The ability to mix and match skills from different branch suits any playstyle
+ Quests are straight-forward and rewards generally help a lot
+ Drop-in/Drop-out Online Multiplayer is where the game shines
+ Having the quick equip/sell really helps
+ Each class has a unique style of play and different builds to go for
- There are a lot of dead ends with no enemies, items, or purpose in levels
- Gold is really pointless in the game, nothing worth buying all the time
- For a Dungeon Crawler/Action-RPG it lacks end-game content
- You couldn't pull back the map to see the entire dungeon, that was troublesome
Concept & Content: 7/10
Duration
+ Approximately 20 hours to finish, a good amount of gameplay time
+ The flow of the game was routine and easy to get into
+ Cinematics were never too long but still built the backstory rather well
+ There are 4 character slots, 1 for each of the classes to provide a different experience each playthrough
- Loading times between each area are incredibly long
- Once you complete the game, that's it. No New Game+, hard mode, or anything
Duration: 7/10
Fun
+ The game eased me in pretty well and I caught on how to play fairly quickly
+ Fighting enemies is satisfying and finding better loot was exciting
+ Boss battles were well though out and provided a decent challenge
+ Daily achievements were a nice way to gain extra XP
+ I liked the use of the 3D, it brought aspects of a level to life
- I hated waiting for load times, they took a really long time to finish
- It's sad to max out gold at 99,999 and not find anything worth buying
- There isn't much incentive to continue playing after finishing the main story
Fun: 7/10
Overall
n-Space crafted out a really entertaining dungeon crawler for the 3DS. They did a lot of things right such as the feel of combat, quick equip/sell/potions, and online multiplayer. The game itself wasn't spectacular with a weak story or incredible graphics, but it was a lot of fun and provided a decent amount of gameplay time. The loading times were a bit frustrating, but there was always something that made me want to keep playing and get farther into the game. It's definitely a game I'd recommend for Dungeon Crawler and Action-RPG fans. Overall: 7.4/10
Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
NewNews - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club finally out on Steam!
Official site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/
Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release! I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions. It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear). As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways. Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/
Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release! I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions. It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear). As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways. Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
GameLight Review - Hack, Slash, Loot
Official Site: http://hackslashloot.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207430/
Source: Youtube Channel videogamr DE
Developer: David Williamson
Publisher: David Williamson
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Apr 5, 2012
Genre: Rogue-Like RPG
Pros:
+ Cute character sprites
Cons:
- Everything is based on luck: Enemy placement, loot drop, attacking, winning
- Walls block off the view of enemies and items unless highlighted over
- You unlock characters by dying over and over, more incentive to lose
- Classes are mostly a few number and sprite changes
- It isn't very rewarding finishing a quest and getting there wasn't fun either
- The music isn't too bad, but it abruptly comes in and out throughout the game
- This game is infuriating every step of the way
Recommended: Definitely a "no"
Rather than "Hack, Slash, Loot", the game should've been called "Miss, Travel, Die". This iteration on the Rogue-Like RPG genre plays entirely on chance and luck. The player chooses a class and quest they want to take on and traverses the deadly dungeons to find better equipment to finally reach their quest goal. The problem is that you will most likely fail the first time you play and perhaps the next few dozen times. You will sometimes be presented with one door to go through and find that the first room is filled with 14 enemies right from the start and immediately die in the first room you walk through. Maybe you'll find one enemy and fight it but have your character miss every attack while the enemy hits you twice to kill you. Perhaps you did a great job finding equipment that made you stronger, but never found any potions to heal you so your character ends up dying before you could reach your main quest. Everything about the game relied a little too much on statistical luck. Almost all classes start off with about 60% chance to hit. Even with a 3/5 chance of successfully hitting an enemy, your character will probably miss 5 attacks before it lands a successful one. I had one really good game out of the many hours I gave the game a try and it was with the Amazon class which wields a bow that increases accuracy with each kill and recovers a little bit of health. I ended up failing even that one after running into a boss that two-shotted me. The game just isn't worth my time, even as a time waster.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 8-bit Pixel based sprites
+ Cute character sprites
+ The pixel based graphics had a certain charm to them, but they get boring
- Walls and items obstruct the vision of enemies
- None of the quests changes the look of the dungeons
- Music was okay, but played abruptly throughout the game
- The sound effects got annoying after a while
- The graphics feel boring and uninspired playing the game
Aesthetics: 2/10
Buttons
Controller: Mostly mouse and some keyboard
+ Moving around was easy enough
+ The keyboard shortcuts really helped
- The planes aren't very clear and so mouse clicks aren't accurate
- None of the controls are explained in-game
- Not able to play completely on keyboard, requires mouse sometimes
Buttons: 4/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Choose a class and a quest. Then fulfill that quest by killing enemies, finding loot, and search for what the quests asks.
+ Simple and straight-forward
- Quests changed some of the level layout, but nothing to the game experience
- Levels are randomly generated, but they all feel about the same
- The goal of the quest isn't even that important after dying so many times
- Even with 32 characters to choose from, the game offers little in variation
- Exploration wasn't fulfilling, combat wasn't fun, and looting wasn't satisfying
Concept and Content: 1/10
Duration
+ There's plenty of replay value for those who can stand this game
- Pacing of the game was very jarring as nothing except dying was expected
- The length of each round can be anywhere from 2-3 hours down to 10 seconds
- You have to die many times over before getting a new character
- It feels like a lot of wasted time whether you're doing well or not
Duration: 2/10
Fun
+ Having an overpowered Amazon that was killing everything in one shot was semi-entertaining, and then she died in 2 hits and I felt cheated
- Having my character miss all their attacks is infuriating
- Dying in the first few rooms over and over was dumb
- There weren't any loot that made me excited when it should
- Combat is a long and tedious chore rather than an exciting experience
- There wasn't an incentive to continue playing the game any longer
Fun: 1/10
Overall
I know rogue-like RPGs are supposed to have a sense of unexpected randomness to it that makes it spontaneous and different each time, but each of those experiences should be entertaining and manageable. The impression I got from the game was that it was all about missing attacks, dying, and starting over again in a vicious cycle to get all the characters. I just couldn't believe how bad of a game it turned out to be. Everything works, there aren't any bugs, but the design of the entire game just wasn't good. It's a game I couldn't recommend anyone to, not even hard-core Rogue-like RPG fans. Overall: 2/10
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207430/
Source: Youtube Channel videogamr DE
Developer: David Williamson
Publisher: David Williamson
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Apr 5, 2012
Genre: Rogue-Like RPG
Pros:
+ Cute character sprites
Cons:
- Everything is based on luck: Enemy placement, loot drop, attacking, winning
- Walls block off the view of enemies and items unless highlighted over
- You unlock characters by dying over and over, more incentive to lose
- Classes are mostly a few number and sprite changes
- It isn't very rewarding finishing a quest and getting there wasn't fun either
- The music isn't too bad, but it abruptly comes in and out throughout the game
- This game is infuriating every step of the way
Recommended: Definitely a "no"
Rather than "Hack, Slash, Loot", the game should've been called "Miss, Travel, Die". This iteration on the Rogue-Like RPG genre plays entirely on chance and luck. The player chooses a class and quest they want to take on and traverses the deadly dungeons to find better equipment to finally reach their quest goal. The problem is that you will most likely fail the first time you play and perhaps the next few dozen times. You will sometimes be presented with one door to go through and find that the first room is filled with 14 enemies right from the start and immediately die in the first room you walk through. Maybe you'll find one enemy and fight it but have your character miss every attack while the enemy hits you twice to kill you. Perhaps you did a great job finding equipment that made you stronger, but never found any potions to heal you so your character ends up dying before you could reach your main quest. Everything about the game relied a little too much on statistical luck. Almost all classes start off with about 60% chance to hit. Even with a 3/5 chance of successfully hitting an enemy, your character will probably miss 5 attacks before it lands a successful one. I had one really good game out of the many hours I gave the game a try and it was with the Amazon class which wields a bow that increases accuracy with each kill and recovers a little bit of health. I ended up failing even that one after running into a boss that two-shotted me. The game just isn't worth my time, even as a time waster.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 8-bit Pixel based sprites
+ Cute character sprites
+ The pixel based graphics had a certain charm to them, but they get boring
- Walls and items obstruct the vision of enemies
- None of the quests changes the look of the dungeons
- Music was okay, but played abruptly throughout the game
- The sound effects got annoying after a while
- The graphics feel boring and uninspired playing the game
Aesthetics: 2/10
Buttons
Controller: Mostly mouse and some keyboard
+ Moving around was easy enough
+ The keyboard shortcuts really helped
- The planes aren't very clear and so mouse clicks aren't accurate
- None of the controls are explained in-game
- Not able to play completely on keyboard, requires mouse sometimes
Buttons: 4/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Choose a class and a quest. Then fulfill that quest by killing enemies, finding loot, and search for what the quests asks.
+ Simple and straight-forward
- Quests changed some of the level layout, but nothing to the game experience
- Levels are randomly generated, but they all feel about the same
- The goal of the quest isn't even that important after dying so many times
- Even with 32 characters to choose from, the game offers little in variation
- Exploration wasn't fulfilling, combat wasn't fun, and looting wasn't satisfying
Concept and Content: 1/10
Duration
+ There's plenty of replay value for those who can stand this game
- Pacing of the game was very jarring as nothing except dying was expected
- The length of each round can be anywhere from 2-3 hours down to 10 seconds
- You have to die many times over before getting a new character
- It feels like a lot of wasted time whether you're doing well or not
Duration: 2/10
Fun
+ Having an overpowered Amazon that was killing everything in one shot was semi-entertaining, and then she died in 2 hits and I felt cheated
- Having my character miss all their attacks is infuriating
- Dying in the first few rooms over and over was dumb
- There weren't any loot that made me excited when it should
- Combat is a long and tedious chore rather than an exciting experience
- There wasn't an incentive to continue playing the game any longer
Fun: 1/10
Overall
I know rogue-like RPGs are supposed to have a sense of unexpected randomness to it that makes it spontaneous and different each time, but each of those experiences should be entertaining and manageable. The impression I got from the game was that it was all about missing attacks, dying, and starting over again in a vicious cycle to get all the characters. I just couldn't believe how bad of a game it turned out to be. Everything works, there aren't any bugs, but the design of the entire game just wasn't good. It's a game I couldn't recommend anyone to, not even hard-core Rogue-like RPG fans. Overall: 2/10
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
NewNews - Big Releases of November 2012
The next three weeks are going to be pretty big for some gamers.
Source: Youtube Channel HaloWaypoint
Halo 4 had launched last night exclusively for the Xbox 360 and begins a new trilogy for the series. The original trilogy was a lot of fun but I'm sad to have not been able to play ODST or Reach. I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to play Halo 4, but so far it looks great.
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
I was disappointed with Black Ops when it was released 2 years ago. It had a great story for single-player, but the game play was really boring. Multiplayer was fun because it was possible to have a buddy join you in online multiplayer on the same system and same screen (for consoles), but it was still unbalanced, buggy, and suffered from irregular amounts of lag. Perhaps Black Ops 2 will be a lot better. I had my doubts for Modern Warfare 3 last year, but it ended up pleasing me quite a bit. I'm not certain how high the demand for Call of Duty is anymore, but I suppose we'll all find out next week.
Source: Youtube Channel Nintendo
Two weeks from now, Nintendo's newest creation will hit the public and we'll see whether Nintendo still has any attraction to the gaming community or the casual gamers. Nintendo has already captured my attention for the system with games such as Bayonetta 2, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, and ZombiU as well as multiplatform games such as Assassin's Creed 3, Darksiders 2, and Mass Effect 3.
The holidays are approaching quickly which means huge sales on its way. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales are among the huge deals.
Source: Youtube Channel HaloWaypoint
Halo 4 had launched last night exclusively for the Xbox 360 and begins a new trilogy for the series. The original trilogy was a lot of fun but I'm sad to have not been able to play ODST or Reach. I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to play Halo 4, but so far it looks great.
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
I was disappointed with Black Ops when it was released 2 years ago. It had a great story for single-player, but the game play was really boring. Multiplayer was fun because it was possible to have a buddy join you in online multiplayer on the same system and same screen (for consoles), but it was still unbalanced, buggy, and suffered from irregular amounts of lag. Perhaps Black Ops 2 will be a lot better. I had my doubts for Modern Warfare 3 last year, but it ended up pleasing me quite a bit. I'm not certain how high the demand for Call of Duty is anymore, but I suppose we'll all find out next week.
Source: Youtube Channel Nintendo
Two weeks from now, Nintendo's newest creation will hit the public and we'll see whether Nintendo still has any attraction to the gaming community or the casual gamers. Nintendo has already captured my attention for the system with games such as Bayonetta 2, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, and ZombiU as well as multiplatform games such as Assassin's Creed 3, Darksiders 2, and Mass Effect 3.
The holidays are approaching quickly which means huge sales on its way. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales are among the huge deals.
Monday, November 5, 2012
GameLight - Forge
Official Site: http://www.playforgewar.com/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
I ran across a trailer at Gametrailers showing a new competitive multiplayer online game called Forge. Strange enough, it reminds me of Quake. It's described as a Fantasy themed, shooter-based, RPG PvP game. I think what reminds me of Quake is the jumping around in the large environment. I do see some melee attacks, so I don't think it's purely a shooter. It's probably the fact that it's a new game and not everyone is clear about what kind of game it is and started putting out assumptions. To put it simply, it's going to be a Player vs. Player intensive team-based game using different classes to achieve the goal of eliminating your opponents or fulfilling a task (I see a possible capture the flag mode). Forge is a Kick-starter funded game and is also on the list on Steam's Greenlight so the community can help push this game out by voting them up and supporting by pre-purchasing their game for $20. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's possible to register and start playing the beta right now for 14 days free. A release date for Forge isn't available yet, but be sure to look out for it.
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
I ran across a trailer at Gametrailers showing a new competitive multiplayer online game called Forge. Strange enough, it reminds me of Quake. It's described as a Fantasy themed, shooter-based, RPG PvP game. I think what reminds me of Quake is the jumping around in the large environment. I do see some melee attacks, so I don't think it's purely a shooter. It's probably the fact that it's a new game and not everyone is clear about what kind of game it is and started putting out assumptions. To put it simply, it's going to be a Player vs. Player intensive team-based game using different classes to achieve the goal of eliminating your opponents or fulfilling a task (I see a possible capture the flag mode). Forge is a Kick-starter funded game and is also on the list on Steam's Greenlight so the community can help push this game out by voting them up and supporting by pre-purchasing their game for $20. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's possible to register and start playing the beta right now for 14 days free. A release date for Forge isn't available yet, but be sure to look out for it.
Friday, November 2, 2012
VGCulture - Nintendo Wii U Sighted!
Official Site: http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
I was at Target yesterday to check out the buy 2 get 1 free sale and saw a demo display of the Nintendo Wii U in the electronics section. Sadly, there weren't any demo games to try out, but it at least showed what the controller looked like and had demo videos of some of the games that's going to release alongside the launch. It feels a bit awkward which is probably why Nintendo decided to create a dedicated hardcore gamer controller for certain games. I can see the gamepad controller coming into play for a lot of other games though. The gamepad's actually really light, so the player wouldn't get tired that easily from holding it. But the ergonomic is a bit odd. For me, I guess I'm just not used to the controller yet, but at least it's not entirely uncomfortable. Those with smaller hands like children or those with much larger hands of adults maybe have difficulty holding the controller comfortably for long durations; however, I imagine Nintendo and other developers to make more use of the touch screen on the gamepad rather than using the keys. It's hard to tell whether the Nintendo Wii U will take off on launch day. There's a lot of neat games that have been showcased for the Wii U so far, but there hasn't been a true killer software for it yet. I just hope developers are more willing to support the system and create more games on it than the lack of support we've seen for the Nintendo 3DS the past year and a half. The Nintendo Wii U launches on November 18th, 2012 about two weeks from now.
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
I was at Target yesterday to check out the buy 2 get 1 free sale and saw a demo display of the Nintendo Wii U in the electronics section. Sadly, there weren't any demo games to try out, but it at least showed what the controller looked like and had demo videos of some of the games that's going to release alongside the launch. It feels a bit awkward which is probably why Nintendo decided to create a dedicated hardcore gamer controller for certain games. I can see the gamepad controller coming into play for a lot of other games though. The gamepad's actually really light, so the player wouldn't get tired that easily from holding it. But the ergonomic is a bit odd. For me, I guess I'm just not used to the controller yet, but at least it's not entirely uncomfortable. Those with smaller hands like children or those with much larger hands of adults maybe have difficulty holding the controller comfortably for long durations; however, I imagine Nintendo and other developers to make more use of the touch screen on the gamepad rather than using the keys. It's hard to tell whether the Nintendo Wii U will take off on launch day. There's a lot of neat games that have been showcased for the Wii U so far, but there hasn't been a true killer software for it yet. I just hope developers are more willing to support the system and create more games on it than the lack of support we've seen for the Nintendo 3DS the past year and a half. The Nintendo Wii U launches on November 18th, 2012 about two weeks from now.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
NewNews - A 3DS exclusive by Treasure
Official JP Site: http://www.treasure-inc.co.jp/index01.html
Source: Youtube Channel lije
The developers that has brought great games such as Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, Mischief Makers, Sin and Punishment, and Ikaruga now plans on making a 3DS exclusive. I have no idea what it is, but I'm hoping it's something with good replay value or game play time. Treasure seems to excel at making shooters. Be they run 'n guns, shoot 'em ups, rail-shooters, or side-scroll shooters, Treasure makes games with a certain charm to them. Guardian Heroes was one of the exceptions that wasn't a shooter, but a classic beat-em-up with branching storylines and RPG elements that had me playing the game over and over. We can all get excited about this new game that Treasure is developing, but there's no guarantee that the Western market will get a chance to play it. All we can do is wait and see.
Source:
-Joystiq - Treasure working on 3DS exclusive
Source: Youtube Channel lije
The developers that has brought great games such as Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, Mischief Makers, Sin and Punishment, and Ikaruga now plans on making a 3DS exclusive. I have no idea what it is, but I'm hoping it's something with good replay value or game play time. Treasure seems to excel at making shooters. Be they run 'n guns, shoot 'em ups, rail-shooters, or side-scroll shooters, Treasure makes games with a certain charm to them. Guardian Heroes was one of the exceptions that wasn't a shooter, but a classic beat-em-up with branching storylines and RPG elements that had me playing the game over and over. We can all get excited about this new game that Treasure is developing, but there's no guarantee that the Western market will get a chance to play it. All we can do is wait and see.
Source:
-Joystiq - Treasure working on 3DS exclusive
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